0
Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Wishes + grammatical form

I am confised about this sentence:
- I’m bored. I wish I .... (arrange) to go somewhere this evening.
- Well, you can go to cinema with us.
Is it possible to be there: "arranged"??
  

Top answer

Hi Anon You can use "had arranged". e. something you did not do in the past), and now you are wishing for the opposite of that past fact.

— Yankee

  • Hi Anon You can use "had arranged".
  • e.
  • something you did not do in the past), and now you are wishing for the opposite of that past fact.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

4 Answers
0
Hi Anon

You can use "had arranged". This would refer to the fact that you did not make any arrangements for this evening (i.e. something you did not do in the past), and now you are wishing for the opposite of that past fact.
0
0
but "arranged" is correct or not?
0
0
No, you need had as well as the past (normally -ed) form of the verb

ie. I wish she had cooked me some chicken

You may hear English speakers omitting the had in such sentences, but it is not gramatically accurate to do so.

Hope This Helps
0
0
No, "arranged" is not a good choice, and I would mark it wrong if one of my students used it in the example you posted.
You need to use "had arranged".

In a wish sentence, the simple past form would refer to a present state which you would like to be different:

I wish I knew the answer to this question. = The state at the present is: I don't know the answer.
0

Related Questions